4 ways to improve the quality of your CVs

We asked hiring managers what their largest challenge was when it came to selecting applicants to interview.

An overwhelming 80% of respondents started it was the quality and quantity of CVs that was holding up their recruitment process. In second place, it was a lack of ownership or assigned department to oversee the process (4%).

Striking the balance between quality and quantity is always going to be a hurdle when it comes to hiring, however, if you introduce just some of the below suggestions, you could start to see a different calibre of candidate.

By implementing these steps – or ensuring your current recruitment supplier does – you’ll start to see a range of benefits, including a reducing your time-to-hire.

1. Set realistic filtering criteria

When deciding what potential applicants will required to be considered; ensure to ask questions that can be gleaned from a CV.

‘Soft skills’ such as a personable approach, cannot, typically, be picked up from an application – so ensure to ask for tangible examples in a covering letter. (If you do wish to learn more about a candidates’ softer skills, why not consider using video interviews?).

2. Use relevant candidate attraction resources

Ensuring you receive good responses to your recruitment advertising is influenced by the type and nature of the resources you use.

Historically, recruiters will have employed the ‘spray and pray’ approach to candidate sourcing – posting on as many resources to boost responses. This mass approach can result in you or your team spending hours sifting through responses.

Instead, to give your vacancy a quality boost, follow the targeted route by using the resources your target audience use. It’ll save you hours in the long run.

3. Give selection tools a go

Selection tools – such as eSkills assessments – can provide you with an effective way to benchmark a candidate’s skill set. Offered on a bespoke or custom basis, they can provide a low cost route to identifying star talent.

4. Use an Applicant Tracking System

Most recruitment providers provide their clients with access to their ATS. This simple to use technology will enable you to view applicants’ skill sets and benchmark their score using a %-based measurement. If a candidate meets your criteria, they’ll be marked as 100% or ‘shortlisted’. This will, ultimately, save you time by searching through relevant applications at a click of a button.